IATF Transition Strategy

22 November 2016

With the recent release by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) of the widely anticipated First Edition of the IATF 16949 standard, there will be many activities and a lot of information that organizations will need to be aware of within the transition process that supports the new standard.

The following provides key points for transitioning from ISO/TS 16949:2009 to IATF 16949 and is applicable to all organizations currently certified to ISO/TS 16949.

The earliest an organisation may transition is 1st January 2017

After 1 October 2017 no audits (initial, surveillance, recertification or transfer) shall be conducted to ISO/TS 16949:2009

Certificates to ISO/TS 16949:2009 will no longer be valid after 14th September 2018

Organizations shall transition to the new IATF 16949 standard in line with their current audit cycle i.e. at the next planned surveillance or recertification

Failure to conduct a transition audit according to the timing in the IATF Rules requires the organization to start over with an initial certification audit

No stage 1 readiness review is required, as long as the initial certification audit to IATF 16949 is conducted within 18 months of the last audit to ISO/TS 16949:2009 and is the duration of an initial audit

Organisations certificated to ISO/TS 16949:2009 cannot transition during a transfer audit or through a special audit

The transition audit shall be the duration of a recertification audit and shall comply with all requirements defined in the IATF Rules, section 6.8. A (new) subsequent audit cycle starts from the last day of the transition audit

All supporting functions onsite or remote shall be included in the transition process in line with the current ISO/TS 16949:2009 audit cycle and shall be included at the transition audit (please refer to the support function notes on pages 5 & 6 of the IATF transition document)

The certification body can make a positive certification decision even after the expiration date of the existing ISO/TS 16949:2009 certificate, as long as the decision is made within a maximum of 120 calendar days from the last day of the transition audit

NOTE: This might result in a period where the client’s ISO/TS 16949:2009 certificate has expired and no valid certificate exists before a new IATF 16949 certificate is then issued

Organisations can have initial audits to ISO/TS 16949:2009 until 1st October 2017, but their certificates will only be valid until 14th September 2018. After 1st October 2017, organisations can only be audited to IATF 16949:2016

Organisations may upgrade from ISO 9001:2015 to the new IATF 16949:2016 standard. It is not possible to upgrade from ISO 9001:2008

Organisations with an existing Letter of Conformance will need to have a full initial audit when moving to the new IATF 16949:2016 standard

Organisations that have had an ISO/TS 16949:2009 certificate withdrawn will need to have a full IATF 16949:2016 Stage 2 audit, however no Stage 1 is required.

Further information can be found in the IATF’s Transition Strategy document here.